Teh Official "Dude Where's My Forum?" Thread, Brought to you by the minds of Box, and her fiancée, Lorelei Options

[Bitter]

Who was it with the heat soaked intercooler?

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_110513/arti...?popularArticle

[Box]

My brother's Mishimoto intercooler kit supposedly gets heat soaked when pushed hard enough, sucks since he found out after buying it but at least he got it second hand with piping and a HKS SSQV IV for about what it'd cost just for the SSQV and piping. I'll make sure to share, and probably end up helping, the article with him. On the street it's ok but here lately he's been getting it ready for autocross and track days so something like in the article will come in handy even after upgrading intercoolers again.

Here lately been trying to decide on what to do with the exhaust on the Firebird. The whole cross flow/transverse system sucks since for one it's a proven power killer and the factory setup is just too quiet. I just don't want to spend a fortune on something I'll ultimately replace when I have the spare money for a true dual setup with headers and high flow cats. Really don't have much in the way of options with space constraints. Can either do a muffler before axle then Y-pipe after axle and out to tips, a center in/dual out single chamber race muffler after axle and then out to tips, or a center in/dual out facing towards the drive side and run out to tips but the passenger side would have to make a 180 turn off the muffler and then out which I can't imagine is the best for flow. Or I can say **** it and do a muffler after the axle and just straight out the back and it'll just be single exit. While aesthetically my least favourite option it'd be the cheapest not only from a materials standpoint but it's something I could do myself and not have to take to a shop.

[Box]

So it turns out I wasn't crazy in thinking a Formula or Trans Am came with single exit exhaust at one point. The LT1/LT4 Firehawks used a single in dual out going towards the driver side and both pipes turned and exited on the driver side:


Then in 1998 WS6 Formulas and Trans Ams had a single in single out going to the driver side:


So I'm thinking I'll do one of the above since I can do it myself and my only expenses will be on the muffler and piping. Kind of leaning towards replicating what was done on the Firehawk.

[Bitter]

Why not just get the Magnaflow can with the single in and dual out and be done
https://www.magnaflow.com/products?partNumber=12267

This post has been edited by Bitter: Jul 18, 2016 - 6:42 PM

[Box]

That was my original plan but after looking into it I'm just not really keen on cross flow setups, even a good one like the Magnaflow sucks compared to a regular Magnaflow. From what I've found as far as working with the factory piping goes and getting the best performance you can replace the factory muffler with a single in/single out and have the exit on the driver side, or put a muffler before the axle and Y-pipe after the axle out to both sides which is how the SLP Loudmouth catback is done. Which the Firehawks and '98 WS6 cars had the single exit for a reason, but most '98 WS6 owners complained that it "didn't look right" so GM caved and went back to the cross flow off regular Formulas and Trans Ams in 1999. Then again most F-body owners want T-tops and an automatic, so what do they know... The single exit doesn't really bother me that much and in some ways it's grown on me, if everyone thinks it's a base model when sitting still I won't have people wanting to mess with it.

Then again if it's significantly louder at idle that'd kind of ruin that, but that's ok.

[Box]

Just ordered my exhaust stuff from Amazon, wooo. So it'll more or less consist of a Jones Max Flow 4" round muffler 24" OAL with 2.5" ID and a Dynomax mandrel bent 2.5" ID driver side tailpipe for 3rd and 4th gens. Should be considerably better than the garbage factory muffler and crossflow system, kind of meh on losing the quasi dual output but I want to be able to hear the exhaust and have the extra performance for me to drive like an old man anyway.

[1994Celica]

Today I bought a 2.5rs bumper for my wagon. Got a decent deal. It's blue which means I'll have to paint it.

[Box]

It'll be lots of fun getting metallic paint to match.

[1994Celica]

It'll be lots of fun getting metallic paint to match.

Paint stratch my friend

[1994Celica]

Today I put new speakers on the Subaru. Nothing big but still something.

[Box]

Nice, what did you put in?

I'm looking forward to exhaust stuff arriving, pretty much it currently. Hopefully it's not too terribly loud and has a nice deep tone like I'm wanting, well as deep as you can get not using chambered mufflers anyway. I think I might do a before and after video for the exhaust, should hold up pieces of paper in front of the tips to show the difference in flow.

[1994Celica]

Nice, what did you put in?

I'm looking forward to exhaust stuff arriving, pretty much it currently. Hopefully it's not too terribly loud and has a nice deep tone like I'm wanting, well as deep as you can get not using chambered mufflers anyway. I think I might do a before and after video for the exhaust, should hold up pieces of paper in front of the tips to show the difference in flow.

Just some pioneers. They work decent for the price. I'm not huge into sound systems, as long as they sound fine and work well for a good price that's all I need.

[Box]

Pioneer makes good stuff, even the more inexpensive options. I like a good sound system, which I still need to get around to for the Firebird, but I don't like loud car rattling subwoofers.

[Box]

Just ordered a nice 3" ID 5" around by 6.5" tall AEM DryFlow filter to replace the small tapered filter that came with the intake kit. The AEM will flow enough for anything I'll ever do with the car and best of all it was marked down to $20 shipped on Amazon Prime. One of my exhaust clamps arrived today, the tailpipe arrives tomorrow, the other clamp arrives Wednesday, and the muffler shipped out today and could be here anytime this week. Hopefully this weekend is nice.

This post has been edited by Box: Jul 25, 2016 - 6:03 PM

[Bitter]

Spent $3 on some little dinky COB white light bars to make an underhood light for the Mazda so I can check oil and stuff without practicing fellatio on a flashlight. May do the same for the Celica too, not sure. It doesn't have a hood insulation to hide the wiring so probably not.

[Box]

I just remembered this:



Ehh, not knowing what the underside of the Celica's hood looks like offhand would you be able to run wiring between the skin and bracing to make install neat?

This post has been edited by Box: Jul 25, 2016 - 7:25 PM

[Bitter]

Eh, maybe. But I'd need more **** like a switch so I could turn it off and there's already enough wiring on that car.

[Box]

I have some LED work lights that're magnetic, something like that would work provided it was kept on hand.

[Box]

Air filter and muffler arrived today. I'm impressed with the Jones muffler, just as nicely made as a Magnaflow if not a little better actually. The only time I could see the Magnaflow being preferable is if you wanted 304 stainless instead of the 409 stainless used on the Jones, but it has the same or more shine than the satin stainless Magnaflows. That and in this instance the Jones was half as much as an identical Magnaflow. They use mandrel bent cores that're perforated, then they're packed with stainless steel mesh and ceramic wool. So if it sounds as good as I think it will I know where I'll be getting my mufflers from now on.

[Bitter]

Interesting!


Went out to my car after work, opened the door, and there my rear view mirror sat on the driver side seat. Glue had turned brown and it fell off. So that was fun driving home with a center lane exit to get over to and a center lane merge to get onto the other highway. Thank goodness I have awesome blind spot mirrors and can almost see behind me with them! All glued back on now.